Control device with concealed selector means and method of making the same

ABSTRACT

A control device having a casing provided with an opening through which a movable selector member extends for permitting manual movement of the selector member for setting the desired operation of the control device. A cover member is detachably secured to the casing and closes the opening over and around the selector member to conceal and prevent operation of the selector member unless the cover member and/or the casing is removed to expose the selector member. The cover member has a pair of flanges extending therefrom which are bent inside the casing against the under side thereof to provide securing means for the cover member to the casing that must be unfastened inside the casing before the cover member can be removed.

United States atent [191 MAKING THE SAME [75] Inventor: Jay L. Lewis,Knox City, Tenn. [73] Assignee: Robertshaw Controls Company, Richmond,Va.

[22] Filed: Nov. 20, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 308,008

[51] Int. Cl. H01h 27/00, H01h 37/04 [58] Field of Search 74/566;137/382; 200/42 R; 337/323, 380

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,168,066 1/1916 Girardot74/566 X 1,285,093 11/1918 Fishel 74/566 X 1,357,463 11/1920 McCarthy eta1 137/382 1,564,159 12/1925 Watson et al 74/566 1,658,857 2/1928Quathamer 74/566 X 1,807,344 5/1931 Roth 200/42 R X 2,505,938 5/1950Biermann et a1. 337/361 Lewis Nov. 13, 1973 [54] CONTROL DEVICE WITHCONCEALED 2,838,064 6/1958 Schieberl 74/566 UX EL C MEANS AND METHOD3,670,284 6/1972 Fortier et a1 337/380 Primary ExaminerA1lan D. HerrmannAttorneyAuzville Jackson, Jr. et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A control device having a casing provided with an openingthrough which a movable selector member extends for permitting manualmovement of the selector member for setting the desired operation of thecontrol device. A cover member is detachably secured to the casing andcloses the opening over and around the selector member to conceal andprevent operation of the selector member unless the cover member and-/or the casing is removed to expose the selector member. The covermember has a pair of flanges extending therefrom which are bent insidethe casing against the under side thereof to provide securing means forthe cover member to the casing that must be unfastened inside the casingbefore the cover member can be removed.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDnuv 13 1975 3771; 387

CONTROL DEVICE WITH CONCEALED SELECTOR MEANS AND METHOD OF MAKING THESAME This invention relates to a control device having means forconcealing the manual setting means thereof and to the method for makingsuch a control device or the like.

It is well known that control devices have been provided with movableselector means so that the operator can select the desired setting forsuch a control device through the manual movement of the selector means.For example, such control devices can comprise room thermostats each ofwhich can have the movable selector member thereof be adapted forselecting the desired temperature output effect of a heat exchangeroperatively interconnected to the thermostat.

However, it has been found according to the teachings of this invention,while it is desired to have a selectable setting means for such acontrol device, it is also sometimes desirable to prevent suchthermostat from being readjusted from a set position thereof by otherthan informed and/or authorized personnel.

Therefore, it is a feature of this invention to provide means forconcealing the manual selector means of a control device so that thesame cannot be utilized to reset the setting thereof unless certainsteps are followed for resetting the control device.

For example, one embodiment of this invention provides a control devicehaving a casing provided with an opening therein and through which amovable selector means extends for permitting manual movement of theselector means for selecting the desired operation of the controldevice. A cover member of this invention is detachable secured to thecasing for closing the opening over and around the selector means to notonly conceal the selector means, but to also prevent operation of theselector means unless the cover member and/or the casing is removed toexpose the selector means. The cover member has securing means thereofdisposed inside the casing so that the cover member cannot be removedunless the casing is removed from the control device by special tools orthe like.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedcontrol device having one or more of the novel features set forth aboveor hereinafter shown or described.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method for making sucha control device or the like.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention are apparent from areading of this description, which proceeds with reference toaccompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the improved control device of this inventionwithout utilizing the cover member of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1,with the casing of the control device removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cover member of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates the cover member ofFIG. 3 attached to the casing of the control device of FIG. 1, FIG. 4being partially broken away.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line5-5 of FIG. 4.

While the various features of this invention are hereinafter describedand illustrated as being particularly adapted for providing concealingmeans for the selector means of a thermostat, it is to be understoodthat the various features of this invention can be utilized singly or inany combination thereof for providing concealing means for the selectormeans of other types of control devices as desired.

Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to only the embodimentillustrated in the drawings, because the drawings are merely utilized toillustrate one of the wide variety of uses of this invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the improved control device of thisinvention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 andcomprises a cup-shaped rectangular casing 11 adapted to be detachablysecured over the main support means 12 of the control device 10 that isformed from a plurality of plates 13, l4, l5 and 16, disposed andsecured in stacked relation. For example, the cup-shaped casing member11 can have its open end telescoped over the supporting structure 12 andcan then be secured to the supporting structure 12 by suitable threadedfastening members passing through the casing 11 and into threadedopenings 17 in the supporting structure 12 so that in order for thecupshaped casing member 11 to be removed from over the supportingstructure 12, special tools will be required to so remove such casingstructure 11.

The casing 11 has a front wall 18 provided with a window 19 therein forexposing an indicator 20 on a movable selector member 21 which indicatesthe setting of the selector member 21 by the position of the indicator20 relative to a temperature scale 22 formed on the front wall 18adjacent the window 19 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Normally, an outer peripheral, ribbed portion 23 of the selector member21 projects out through a rectangular opening 24 formed in thecup-shaped casing 11 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 andsince the selector member 21 is rotatably mounted to the supportingstructure 12 by a threaded fastening member 25, the selector member 21can be manually rotated relative to the supporting structure 12 forsetting the temperature setting of the thermostat 10 which setting willcorrespond to the position of the indicator 20 thereof relative to thetemperature scale 22.

While the particular details of the control device 10 and itstemperature-responsive function does not form any part of thisinvention, it can readily be seen in FIG. 2 that a cam rise 26 is formedon the selector member 21 and is adapted to operate against an end 27 ofa bimetal arrangement 28 that has one end 29 of a bimetal member 30thereof acting against a ball bleed valve member 31 so that the force ofthe bimetal member 30 tending to urge the ball valve member 31 against aconical valve seat 32 of the supporting structure 12 will be varied bythe particular position of the selector member 21 relative to thesupporting structure 12.

As previously states, it is sometimes desirable to prevent unauthorizedpersonnel from resetting the selector means 21 of the control device 10after the same has been set in a desired position thereof for desiredpurposes.

Accordingly, it is a feature of this invention to provide means forconcealing the selector member 21 after the same has been set in adesired position thereof to prevent unauthorized personnel fromresetting the selector means 21.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a cover member of this invention is generallyindicated by the reference numeral 33 and is substantially of arectangular cup-shape so as to define opposed parallel sides 34 and 35joined together at the upper ends thereof by a rectangular flat top wall36 and another pair of opposed parallel end walls 37 and 38 respectivelyjoined at the upper ends thereof to'the top wall 36 and having flangeextensions 39 and 40 extending downwardly thereform beyond the sidewalls 34 and 35.

The cover member 33 can be formed of metal or other desired material andis preferably formed of opaque material so that the same will completelyconceal from view the selector member 21 at the opening 24 in the casing11 in a manner now to be described.

With the casing 11 removed from the supporting structure 12, the covermember 33 is inserted into the opening 24 and the depending flanges 39and 40 of the end walls 37 and 38 are bent outwardly in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 4 so as to bear against the underside 41 of thecasing 11 and thereby detachably secure the cover member 33 to thecasing 1 1. When the casing 1 1 is subsequently reattached to thesupporting structure 12 after the selector member 21 has been set in thedesired position thereof, it can readily be seen in FIGS. 4 and that thecover member 33 completely covers the projecting portion of the selectormember 21 at the opening 24 of the casing 11 so that unauthorizedpersonnel are not only unaware that the device has a manually movableselector means 21 as the same is concealed from view, but also theunauthorized personnel cannot readjust the selector member 21 unless thecover member 33 and/or casing 11 is removed from the supportingstructure 12.

However, in order to remove the cover member 33 from the casing 11, thecasing 11 must be detached from the supporting structure 12 so that theflanges 39 and 40 can be rebent back into the plane of the end walls 37and 38 for removal of the cover member 33 from the opening 24 of thecasing 11.

Therefore, it can be seen that the bent flanges 39 and 40 providesecuring means inside the casing 11 for holding the cover member 33 inits secured position over the opening 24 of the casing 11 to completelyconceal the manually movable portion of the selector member 21 that isnormally exposed for manual selection of the temperature setting of thethermostat 10.

Thus, it can be seen that this invention not only provides an improvedcontrol device having means for concealing the manual selector meansthereof, but also this invention provides a method for making such acontrol device or the like.

While the form and method of this invention now preferred has beenillustrated and described as required by the Patent Statutes, it is tobe understood that other forms and methods can be utilized and stillcome within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A control device having a casing provided with an opening therein, amovable selector means extending out of said opening for permittingmanual movement of said selector means for setting the desired operationof said control device, and a cover member detachably secured to saidcasing and closing said opening over said selector means to preventoperation of said selector means unless said cover member and/or saidcasing is removed to expose said selector means.

2. A control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cover memberhas flange means projecting there: from and being bent outwardlytherefrom inside said casing to detachably secure said cover member tosaid casing.

3. A control device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said opening in saidcasing is substantially rectangular, said flange means of said covermember cmprising a pair of flanges respectively disposed at opposedsides of said rectangular opening.

4. A control device as set forth in claim 3 wherein said cover member issubstantially of an inverted U- shape in transverse cross sectionthereof.

5. A control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cover memberhas securing means located inside said casing so that said casing mustbe removed from said control device to expose said securing means fordetaching said cover member from said casing.

6. A method for making a control device comprising the steps of formingan opening in a casing of said control device, causing a movableselector means to extend out of said opening for permitting manualmovement of said selector means for setting the desired operation ofsaid control device, and detachably securing a cover member to saidcasing to close said opening around and over said selector means toprevent operation of said selector means unless said cover member and/orsaid casing is removed to expose said selector means.

7. A method as set forth in claim 6 and including the steps of formingsaid cover member with flange means projecting therefrom, and bendingsaid flange means outwardly therefrom inside said casing to detachablysecure said cover member to said casing at said opening thereof.

8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein said opening in said casingis substantially rectangular and wherein said step of forming saidflange means of said cover member comprises the step of forming a pairof flanges to be respectively disposed at opposed sides of saidrectangular opening and be bent outwardly therefrom.

9. A method as set forth in claim 8 and including the step of formingsaid cover member to be substantially of an inverted Ushape intransverse cross section thereof. I

10. A method as set forth in claim 6 and including the step of formingsaid cover member with securing means to be located inside said casingso that said casing must be removed from said control device to exposesaid securing means for detaching said cover member from said casing.

1. A control device having a casing provided with an opening therein, amovable selector means extending out of said opening for permittingmanual movement of said selector means for setting the desired operationof said control device, and a cover member detachably secured to saidcasing and closing said opening over said selector means to preventoperation of said selector means unless said cover member and/or saidcasing is removed to expose said selector means.
 2. A control device asset forth in claim 1 wherein said cover member has flange meansprojecting therefrom and being bent outwardly therefrom inside saidcasing to detachably secure said cover member to said casing.
 3. Acontrol device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said opening in saidcasing is substantially rectangular, said flange means of said covermember cmprising a pair of flanges respectively disposed at opposedsides of said rectangular opening.
 4. A control device as set forth inclaIm 3 wherein said cover member is substantially of an invertedU-shape in transverse cross section thereof.
 5. A control device as setforth in claim 1 wherein said cover member has securing means locatedinside said casing so that said casing must be removed from said controldevice to expose said securing means for detaching said cover memberfrom said casing.
 6. A method for making a control device comprising thesteps of forming an opening in a casing of said control device, causinga movable selector means to extend out of said opening for permittingmanual movement of said selector means for setting the desired operationof said control device, and detachably securing a cover member to saidcasing to close said opening around and over said selector means toprevent operation of said selector means unless said cover member and/orsaid casing is removed to expose said selector means.
 7. A method as setforth in claim 6 and including the steps of forming said cover memberwith flange means projecting therefrom, and bending said flange meansoutwardly therefrom inside said casing to detachably secure said covermember to said casing at said opening thereof.
 8. A method as set forthin claim 7 wherein said opening in said casing is substantiallyrectangular and wherein said step of forming said flange means of saidcover member comprises the step of forming a pair of flanges to berespectively disposed at opposed sides of said rectangular opening andbe bent outwardly therefrom.
 9. A method as set forth in claim 8 andincluding the step of forming said cover member to be substantially ofan inverted U-shape in transverse cross section thereof.
 10. A method asset forth in claim 6 and including the step of forming said cover memberwith securing means to be located inside said casing so that said casingmust be removed from said control device to expose said securing meansfor detaching said cover member from said casing.